The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1887-12-08
INTERSTATE CO nERcf,


Annual Report or the Cosn1nIs.ton-Th1
0peration or tho law quite satisnactory
oh tho Wh6le-All tho Phases az Tho CUES:
ton Passed Upon.
WASHINGTON, Dec. The arst annual 10;
port Of the interstate commerce commission
has been laid before the secretary Of the In.
terror: 1t lisa printed document Of forty three
pages, and bears the signaturesl Of OIL
votes dozen pages tc q historic sketch Of
the country's transportation facilities. from
the pack horse and canoe Of the early dayl
to the mammoth institutions Of the present
tracing back to their origin all those griev.
ances and abuses which finally led TO the
passage OF the interstate act Under the
heading The carriers subject to its 1.-THE
act's1 Jurisdiction" the commission saws:
Some Of the railroad practices which the act
Undertakes to bring to an end have been com.
mon among carriers by water Also. and IL wrong
case q well. It does not, however. Intend 10 in:
innate On opinion that these things are common.
The commission is Of tho opinion that the ex.
!: dS1i h R the the :to
express companies which arc tndependent
OF the railroads are within tho Contemplation
OF the act Is more doubtful Tho sleeping cal
panies which transp0rt in tank cars are as much
subject to the temptation to discriminate as the
railroads arc, and the fact ts laid before congress-
for such action Is 1t may choose to take in the
premises.
The long aud short haul clause is exhaust
lively discussed, together with the reasons OF
the commission for temporarily s,ispendinq
the provision in certain sections, and they
say. in part:
The considerations which were influential in
be granted were not more the relief Of the car
riers from danger Of loss than the prevention of
threatened disturbance of business interests in
seemed liable to embarrass seriously the entire
country. In large sections Of the country
obedience to the general rule Of the fourth
section .oo is without important exception:
bringing the freight tariffs into conformity with
the general rule prescribed by tho fourth section
than some persons expected. there has neverthe-
Less been gratifying advance in that direction,
ana Chere IS every reason to believe that this
will continue.
DIMINISHED EVILS.
The commission, after quoting that part of
tho twelfth section which empowers it to
Enquire into the business of oil common
carriers" says:
This Is very important provision The com.
In any case in which mischief Of public impor-
lance Is thought to exist and which is not likely
to be brought to its attention on complaint of 4
private te,a prosecutor There is every reason
most serious evils which were notorious
In the railway service before the passage Of
the act, and were in the legislative mind as
reasons for its enactment, have now almost
ceased to exist. One of these was the giving OF
special and secret rebates. Complaints Of nm
just discrimination and the giving of undue and
frequent and it is not to be denied that in the
existing tariffs there are many rates which, as
compared with others made by the same carriers,
seem to be unfair and Oppressive. But even
as regards this species Of injustice the good
cflects OF the law are manifest. Being now COM
PEELED to Justify their rates when called
On. makes managers more cautious about doing
injustice In majority of cases either the
complainant has been found to be mistaken in
his facts. or il wronged, it has been through
careiessness or mismanagement. which the car
case OF difference Of opinion. the parties, when
brought tntc communication. succeeded IN find
ing some basis for settlement without further
interruption. This method Of disposing of COM
plants is believed by the commission to be more
Useful than any other, because its tendency is
toward the establishment of desirable relations
between the carrier and those who must be the
customer
The report comments at some length ON
the plan adopted by the commission of hav-
ing the hearings before it stripped of all un-
necessary Formally so that plain men could
be speedily heard without the aid of law
yer6 The commission urges the desirable
tty Of q uniform freight classification
thhr.oughout the country, but doubts the
ability to reach the matter by legislation,
while without it there ia gradual approach
TO- uniformity effected by the railroads
themselves Any commission appointed by
the government to make a uniform freight
classification would have to go at it in much
the same way. The commission says:
The pooling of freights and of railroad earn
ings. so far as the commission has knowledge or
information on the subject. came to an end
when the act took effect. But as pooling was
only one Of the several purposes had in view in
forming railroad associations, the leading asso-
Citations have not been dissolved, but have been
continued in existence for other objects. Among
these objects are the making of regular rates for
uninterrupted and harmonious railroad COM
thhntcatiOn and EXCHANGE Of traffic within the
territory embraced by their workings Some
regulations in addition TO those made by the
law are almost il not altogether indispensable.
Thus: while the seventh section of the act for
bids the carriers preventing shipments from be-
ing continuous by the device Of changing time
schedules, carriage In different cars, etc.,
It has not undertaken to provide for
the making of such time schedules rs would
facilitate the continuous shipment. or to pre-
scribe rules for the loading and movement Of
cars for that purpose.
REASONABLE CHARGES